"It ain’t going to work" - Pundit claims Chelsea's reported managerial target Mauricio Pochettino will fail at London club

TalkSPORT pundit Jamie O'Hara reckons Mauricio Pochettino will fail at Chelsea, as he's made for Tottenham Hotspur.

Pochettino is moving ever closer to becoming Graham Potter's permanent successor at Stamford Bridge. Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano says that talks between the Blues and the Argentine are in the final stage.

The former Tottenham and PSG manager will become Chelsea's third permanent manager since Todd Boehly became co-owner in May 2022. His appointment of Potter was a disaster, and O'Hara doesn't think Pochettino will be successful.

The former Spurs midfielder started his assessment of Pochettino becoming the Blues' new boss in exasperation:

“Don’t even get me started. You’ve got Pochettino coming in. That’s not going to work.”

O'Hara continued by saying that Pochettino is made for Tottenham. The Argentine coached the Lilywhites from 2014 till 2019. He led the North Londoners to the 2019 UEFA Champions League final

“It’s not going to work. It won’t work. He was made for Tottenham.”

Spurs are searching for their own next permanent manager after sacking Antonio Conte in March. O'Hara thinks Pochettino has unfinished business with his former club:

“No, there’s unfinished business. The only reason he’s not going back there is because Daniel Levy is an idiot, and he doesn’t want to go back on old ground because they fell out when he left.”

Pochettino's anticipated appointment at Chelsea has drawn criticism due to his previous Spurs allegiances.

O'Hara has compared the Argentine's expected arrival at Stamford Bridge to Rafael Benitez's appointment at Everton. The Spanish coach was a massive success at their cross-city rivals Liverpool, and his Goodison Park reign ended tumultuously:

“It’s the same as Rafa Benitez going to Everton – I’m telling you, it’s exactly the same thing."

The former Spurs boss has been out of management since being sacked by PSG last summer. He took the Parisians to the Ligue 1 title, but a collapse in the UEFA Champions League last 16 led to his ouster.

---

Darren Bent tips Pochettino to convince Harry Kane to join him at Chelsea

Mauricio Pochettino could try and persuade Harry Kane to join him at Chelsea.

Speculation continues to grow over Harry Kane's future with a potential departure from Tottenham being touted. Manchester United are admirers of the England captain, who has bagged 26 goals in 43 games across competitions.

However, former Spurs striker Bent has suggested that Pochettino may try and entice Kane to Chelsea should he be appointed, telling talkSPORT:

“I’m convinced that conversation would happen. Pochettino would probably reach out to Kane himself and say ‘listen, do you fancy it’.”

Kane was Spurs' protagonist under Pochettino during the latter's reign at the north London club, bagging 169 goals in 242 appearances.

It remains to be seen if Kane will be tempted by a move to Stamford Bridge, but he does hold Pochettino in high regard. He left his former coach a heartfelt message on social media when the Argentine was dismissed by Spurs in 2019:

“We’ve had some amazing moments in the last 5 and a half years that I will never forget. You were my manager but my friend as well, and I thank you for that relationship. Good luck with your next chapter!”